The Red Hot Chili Peppers have officially announced that the band will play a gig in Israel for the first time in their illustrious career; the gig will take place September 10 in Tel Aviv. RHCP members Anthony Kiedis, Michael ‘Flea’ Balzary and latest guitarist Josh Klinghoffe made the news public via the video featured below.

“I would like to announce our huge joy and pleasure and excitement and the thrill we have to come to Israel for the very first time”, Flea announced, “The original guitar player of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the great Hillel Slovak, may he rest in peace, was an Israeli. We’ve always had a great love for Israel and never had the opportunity to come, and we’re so psyched.”

“Basically, we love playing for people”, Kiedis added, ”Children, middle-aged and old people, so come one come all. Come dance, come be merry. Come experience the joy of music as seen by the Red Hot Chili Peppers in your beautiful country.”

As Diffuser notes, the RHCP are following in the footsteps of other artists such as Madonna and Lady Gaga, who have decided to play in Israel despite other prominent bands such as U2 and Gorillaz boycotting the country due to political and social injustices.

Earlier this year when news first broke that RHCP was planning to play in Israel, their decision was met with opposition from various organisations. Activist group Campaign to Boycott Supporters of Israel (CBSI) published an open letter to the band expressing befuddlement as to why RHCP played a benefit gig for Hoping Foundation in London, in November 2011, and raised a reported $630,000 US in support of children of Palestinian refugees who were displaced by the creation of Israel in 1948, and then approximately a month later announced plans to play in Israel.

There have also been Facebook campaigns and various blogs urging the RCHP not to play the September-scheduled show.

As Haaretz points out, the RHCP are honouring a commitment they made to play in Israel, which dates back to 2001. The tragedies of that year created a political and social climate that forced the RHCP to cancel their proposed performance in Tel Aviv.